Over a week after the world learned that Beyoncé had lip-synched “The Star-Spangled Banner” at President Obama’s second inauguration, the diva finally admitted publicly this afternoon that she did, in fact, use a backing track during her performance. “I am a perfectionist,” she said, “and I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra. It was a live television show, and a very very important emotional show for me…And due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper sound check, I did not feel comfortable taking a risk. It was about the president and the inauguration, and I wanted to make my country proud.”

The confession, however, came only after Beyoncé delivered a live, a cappella rendition of the national anthem to a convention center filled with reporters – proving that she can perform the song without any help from a pre-recorded track or even other musicians. Here’s video of her unaccompanied performance:

And just in case you were wondering: Bey “will absolutely be singing live” on Sunday, when she headlines the Super Bowl’s halftime show. She was a little less forthcoming about that rumored Destiny’s Child reunion, though: “I can’t give too much away but every little second matters,” she said.